Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 8 - The Listeners

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 28 MISSY MAZZOLI COMPOSER Lyric debut The composer’s music has been performed all over the world by the Kronos Quartet, eighth blackbird, pianist Emanuel Ax, Opera Philadelphia, Scottish Opera, LA Opera, Cincinnati Opera, New York City Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and many other eminent soloists and ensembles. In 2018, she became one of the first two women (along with composer Jeanine Tesori) to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, in the categories of Best Classical Composition and Best Classical Compendium. From 2018- 2021 she was the Mead Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Proving U p, commissioned by Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha, and New York’s Miller Theatre, premiered at Kennedy Center in January 2018. Earlier projects include Mazzoli’s much-acclaimed operas Song from the Uproar (2012) and Breaking the Waves (2016), and an upcoming premiere of Lincoln in the Bardo at the Metropolitan Opera. Mazzoli has also earned renown as a composer for film and television, and she is an active pianist and keyboardist. Missy Mazzoli is sponsored by Lori Julian for the Julian Family Foundation. ROYCE VAVREK LIBRETTIST Lyric debut The Canadian-born librettist and lyricist is currently based in Brooklyn. His opera Angel’s Bone , written with composer Du Yun, received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The Listeners is Vavrek’s fourth collaboration with Missy Mazzoli; their fifth, The Galloping Cure , will premiere in the U.K. next year, and their sixth, Lincoln in the Bardo , will premiere at the Metropolitan Opera at the start of the 2026/27 Season. Their opera Breaking the Waves premiered at Opera Philadelphia, and was winner of 2017 Music Critics Association of North America’s award for Best New Opera. With Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, Vavrek wrote the story and text for two dance projects, Crypto , choreographed by Guillaume Côté for Côté Dance and Evidence of It All , choreographed by Drew Jacoby for SFDanceworks, featuring narration by the Academy Award-nominated actress Rosamund Pike. Vavrek has also collaborated with composers David T. Little ( JFK , Fort Worth Opera world premiere, 2016; Dog Days , Peak Performances @ Montclair world premiere, 2012) and Ricky Ian Gordon ( 27 , 2014 premiere, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis). NICOLE HEASTON CLAIRE Lyric debut The native Chicagoan began this season returning to the role of Claire Devon in the North American premiere of The Listeners at Opera Philadelphia. She sang the role for the work’s world premiere at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet in the 2022/23 Season. With the National Symphony Orchestra, she sings the title role in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa , led by Gianandrea Noseda, performs with Houston’s Mercury Chamber Orchestra, and takes the role of Armida in Detroit Opera’s production of Handel’s Rinaldo . Last season, Heaston returned to LA Opera as Mary in Still’s Highway 1, USA and to Houston Grand Opera as Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff . With Philharmonia Baroque, she sang Anna/Dido in Errollyn Wallen’s Dido’s Ghost and Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas . During the spring of 2024, she made a role debut as Massenet’s Thaïs with Utah Opera, which she will reprise with Spoleto Festival USA this spring. Other recent highlights include Amore in a new production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with San Francisco Opera, a role debut as Melissa in Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula with Philharmonia Baroque, and Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Houston Grand Opera. She made her first career performances of Vanessa at Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA. Next season, she will sing Alice Ford/ Falstaff with LA Opera. KYLE KETELSEN HOWARD Previously at Lyric: 8 roles since 2009/10, most recently Dulcamara/ The Elixir of Love (2021/22) and King of Scotland/ Ariodante (2018/19). Last season, the American bass-baritone debuted at the Opéra national de Paris in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovann i. He returned to Staatsoper Hamburg to sing Jochanaan in a new production of Salome , and to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Escamillo in a new production of Carmen and reprise the role of Richard in The Hours . He recently sang in Mozart’s Requiem at Lyric, and in Verdi’s Requiem with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Other recent highlights include a return to Wiener Staatsoper in the title role in Don Giovanni , concert engagements including Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti, and his first performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Utah Symphony. Ketelsen recently returned to LA Opera as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande . In previous seasons, Ketelsen made house debuts at Wiener Staatsoper in the title role of Don Giovanni and at Teatro de la Maestranza as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande . He returned to Canadian Opera Company Artist profiles CREATORS